Brisk walk your way to good health

Get your 10,000 steps every day to limit your risk of serious disease. — AFP

While it’s no secret that walking is good for your health, a recent study reports that an average of 10,000 steps per day looks to be ideal to limit the risk of serious disease.

Plus, walking at a brisk pace could have an even greater impact on health and well-being.

Published in the scientific journal JAMA Neurology, this study finds that taking 10,000 steps per day can reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular (heart) disease by 30% to 40%.

The appearance of symptoms related to neurological disorders or dementia could even be reduced by half.

In any case, taking 6,000 steps a day appears to already contribute to limiting the risk of fatal diseases.

But the number of steps is not the only factor to consider.

There is also the speed at which you walk.

And on this front, a regular brisk walk is even more beneficial to your health.

Walking at a fast pace leads to a greater reduction in the risk of cancer, heart disease and early death.

Walking quickly increases the heart rate, getting the blood circulating more quickly.

This is good for keeping arteries healthy, as well as for muscles, and even the brain.

Even if walking is not a miracle solution, it can significantly improve people’s health.

To reach this conclusion, researchers analysed the number of steps taken by 78,500 British adults between 2013 and 2015, using wearable trackers, and then compared these results with their health status seven years later.

Today, most smartphones allow you to track the number of steps taken during the day, so no more excuses! – AFP Relaxnews